Legitimating New Religions
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.87 (641 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0813533244 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-01-29 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Interesting, compelling, informative. I really enjoyed this book. For anyone who is interested in the sociology of religion or new religious movements, this will be a nice read. I loved the introduction, when the author talks about his own experiences with charisma, in this instance, with Elizabeth C. Prophet of C.U.T. The author covers a wide and interesting array of new religious movements, from Native American move
He contends that a new religion has at least four different, though overlapping, areas where legitimacy is a concern: making converts, maintaining followers, shaping public opinion, and appeasing government authorities. Mainstream society's acknowledgement of a religion as legitimate means recognizing its status as a genuine religion and thus recognizing its right to exist. Lewis has written the first book to deal explicitly with the issue of how emerging religions legitimate themselves. The legitimacy that new religions seek in the public realm is primarily that of social acceptance. Cases include the Movement for Spiritual Inner Awareness, Native American prophet religions, spiritualism, the Church of Christ-Scientist, Scientology, Church of Satan, Heaven's Gate, Unitarianism, Hindu reform movements, and Soka Gakkai, a new Buddhist sect.Since many of the issues raised with respect to newer religions can be extended to the legitimation strategies deployed by established religions, this book sheds an intriguing new light on classic questions about the origin of all religions.. J
A true contribution." . "Lewis addresses an issue long recognized in the sociology of religion--'how do religious leaders achieve their legitimacy?'--but he asks the question about leaders of new, and often controversial, religions
Lewis teaches at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point and is author of The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects and New Religions. He has been interviewed by major media outlets including ABC's World News Tonight, the Los Angeles Times, NBC's Meet the Press, and the Washington Post.. James R